Verizon reneges on free LTE offer for Chromebook Pixel buyers a year early

When Google’s Chromebook Pixel went on sale just over a year ago, the $1,450 price tag that accompanied the LTE-equipped model was tough for some to swallow. To help ease the sting, buyers were promised two years of free data from Verizon.

Yet after just one year into the deal, the 100MB of free data each month has vanished and understandably, many are upset over the whole thing.

Google’s own Chromebook Pixel LTE product page now explicitly says the product isn’t eligible for any free Verizon data plans. A quick check of an older version of the page through archive.org, however, reveals the original two year promise. And to make matters even more frustrating, Google’s press site makes mention of three years of free LTE service through Verizon.

As Computerworld points out, reports of the shady behavior started showing up around the web back in April. When contacted about the issue, Verizon has reportedly been telling customers that the offer was only good for one year despite the fact that official documentation states otherwise.

I'll be the first to admit that 100MB of data is hardly enough to get upset over but it’s the principle of the matter. If you make a promise, especially one used to sell a high-end machine, you should honor it. That should be even more concrete when there’s proof of said agreement still available online.

Unless there was some discrete clause in the original agreement about having the right to cancel the promotion at any time, I fail to see why Verizon would renege on their promise.